Modern retail customers like mobile apps. That much is clear. In 2023, UK mobile users downloaded 2.3 billion apps, a 4.5% increase since 2022, making Britain one of the largest mobile app markets in the world by growth and engagement levels.
This is good news for brands. However, an active market also leads to greater consumer choice and higher expectations, so app developers have to try harder these days in order to make their luxury app irresistible to their target market. After all, there are plenty of alternative options if you don’t get your app development features spot on.
So, what luxury app design features should you focus on to keep the downloads rolling and your retention rate high?
Luxury or premium goods are typically associated with ‘high involvement’ decisions, requiring consumers to gather more information to make expensive purchases and overcome purchase anxiety. A luxury mobile app should facilitate this information-gathering process, making key information transparent and available in order to make the purchase process as easy as possible.
Britain of the 2020s is a mobile-first society, and consumers now overwhelmingly want luxury retailers to provide specific digital tools to enhance their shopping experience through the mobile app. From a design perspective, this necessitates a seamless integration of app-based and browser/website-based shopping features, with a full suite of seamless and convenient digital shopping features made available to customers. Depending on your niche, these tools could include a virtual try-on tool, a concierge/personalised recommendation service, one-click purchasing and easy returns through the app, or exclusive access and previews to upcoming collections and limited edition products.
Customers aren’t doing you a favour by using your app – they expect it to enhance their brand experience and to be rewarded for doing so. Incentivising your customers for using your app can boost retention by keeping customers coming back for more. One way of doing this is to integrate gamification into your mobile app design, such as enabling your customers to earn points or rewards for purchases or engagement, track progress, complete challenges, and even earn badges for interactive activities that encourage participation and interaction within the app. However, as fun as this may be for some users, other users are just in it for the shopping – so any gamification element should be strictly optional.
It’s easy to get bogged down in the technical and psychological aspects of luxury app design, but ultimately, a luxury bespoke app needs to look real nice in order to attract and retain your target consumers. High-quality graphics, immersive design, and a streamlined layout all play a role in helping your app capture your audience’s attention. However, the ‘allure’ of a premium mobile app comes from how the app integrates seamlessly with other aspects of your brand. A mobile app is not a stand-alone project, but an extension of your other digital and offline marketing channels, so there must be complete consistency of content, message, and aesthetic to avoid disconnect. An alluring design is one, that works really really well, too, so it’s worth investing in a thorough testing and evaluation process to ensure that your app is easy to use, with usability integrated into the heart of your design process from day one.
At Glance, we create a wide range of luxury apps for premium brands, with custom features designed to attract and retain your target customers. To find out more, please contact one of our experienced teams by clicking here.